May Queen Episode 36 Recap

I can honestly say that the events in this episode make me really happy that this upcoming weekend will be the end of the series. It’s about time. The unnecessary 2nd birth secret (and unnecessary extension) coupled with Hae Joo’s attitude was really just annoying. While I get that hearing the news was really hard on her (and Geum Hee and Jung Woo) her attitude drove me up the wall. I hate the fact that it’s like she’s wallowing in pity and misery and thinks that she’s the only one really hurting. Plus, she NEVER tells anybody what’s what. She only lets her pain stew inside without speaking. That’s so not healthy. And WHAT is with her attitude towards San? After everything he’s done for her and everything he’s been through, he does NOT deserve how she’s treating him whatsoever.

So…do you think the Jang family will learn the truth about Hae Joo before the finale? And even if they do…would that change anything? If nothing else, it will make In Hwa hate Hae Joo even more.

So Geum Hee enters the hospital room and sees Hae Joo has the paternity test results in hand. Geum Hee immediately snatches it away. Hae Joo wishes to know what is going on, but Geum Hee only screams it will never be true and runs out of the hospital room (sans coat and purse). Hae Joo collapses to the floor and cries before getting up off her feet when San returns saying she’s officially checked out. Instead of telling him anything Hae Joo rushes off in search of her mother who is currently walking against a light and nearly gets run over. The woman can only shake and cry.

Hae Joo finds her and takes her to a café. Geum Hee doesn’t wish to tell her what happened, but does break down when Hae Joo insists she wishes to know the truth. Geum Hee reveals how Jang was her first love and she married Hak Soo after Jang was forced by the Lee father to leave Ulsan and go to Seoul (where he met In Hwa’s and Il Moon’s mother). Hak Soo healed her scarred heart from the betrayal and the two were very happy. Then Jang came drunk to their house after Hak Soo had left for a business trip. He told her Il Moon’s mother was sick and then forced himself on her. Geum Hee said she didn’t have the strength to fight him off and maybe a part of her did feel some sympathy for the man.

After the incident she tried to divorce Hak Soo as she felt she was no longer worthy of him. Of course, Hak Soo refused to give her the divorce and then Yoo Jin was born. Geum Hee was afraid the child was Jang’s daughter. She had no idea that Hak Soo faked the paternity test to say that Yoo Jin was really his daughter. Plus, he treated her very well, so Geum Hee never thought otherwise. Hae Joo then demands to know what brought Geum Hee to do the DNA test. Geum Hee said she only started thinking about that nightmare thanks to Hae Joo’s sugar being high. Jang has the same problem. Geum Hee wonders how she will ever make up for this new sin of hers. Hae Joo says she will never accept the fact Jang is her daughter. Her only fathers are Hak Soo and Hong Chul. She rips the paternity test to shreds.

You do have to feel badly. Hae Joo just found out that she’s basically Satan’s spawn and to make matters worse, she’s the product of rape. But at the same time…I really can’t accept the rest of her attitude throughout this attitude. I’m sorry, I just can’t. Maybe I’m completely heartless. I also couldn’t handle more of her annoying wide-eyed shock and bad crying scenes. I was even a bit disappointed with Lee Hoon’s one crying scene as it also seemed a little fake and lacking in emotion which is odd since Lee Hoon has been awesome so far in this drama and exudes emotions well.

Jung Woo is still talking with Il Moon who does finally break down and say he had no intention of ever trying to kill Hae Joo. He only wanted to steal the drill so that San and Hae Joo wouldn’t be able to complete it and thus Cheonji would win the oil drilling contract. Il Moon also insists that he acted on his own without his father’s knowledge or approval. I had to laugh as Il Moon seemed like such a little boy in this scene. I almost feel bad for him. He is the product of his environment. Shakes head.

Jung Woo calls San to let him know about Il Moon’s arrest as Hae Joo comes into the office. San is happy to see her, but would have rather she rested instead. Hae Joo then throws a fit like an angry child. Revenge comes before anything else. There isn’t much time left and they need to complete the drill. San says that he will take care of everything, but again, Hae Joo throws a fit like a whiny little brat. Poor San. He doesn’t deserve to be on the receiving end of her tantrums. Did she forget that he’s suffering right now, too? Probably. Bong Hee comes in and reveals the drill cracked because they weren’t real but industrial diamonds.

Chang Hee reports Il Moon’s arrest to Jang. On top of all the other bad press and incidents, there will be no way they can save Il Moon from going to jail this time for his crimes. Jang is, of course, not happy. His son is his ultimate albatross. Meanwhile, San calls Noble who assures them they sent real diamonds. That means that the diamonds had to have been switched out and the only person who could have done that would be Cheonji. Bong Hee says now that they know the problem it doesn’t matter what happened with the diamonds as Ocean will be able to get them. Hae Joo storms off, leaving both San and her aunt mystified.

Jang finally returns home where he reveals to his wife that Il Moon is the reason Hae Joo ended up getting hospitalized. Jang says it is due to Il Moon’s jealousy over Hae Joo getting his company shares. Geum Hee springs up and starts hitting her husband. Doesn’t he know who Hae Joo is? Jang stops her. Of course—Hae Joo is her daughter Yoo Jin. Wow. I’m impressed that Geum Hee nearly spilled the beans. My question would be how much would Jang’s attitude change if he learnt the truth? Of course, he did always kind of feel an affinity for that girl and always said she reminded him of his self. Geum Hee storms off leaving Jang very unhappy. Meanwhile, Gi Cheol is happy to learn that Il Moon has shot himself in the foot. Thanks to this, Chang Hee believes their revenge will be taken care of soon. He will force Jang to use up the slush fund money and then kick him when he’s down and get Cheonji completely under his control.

At the Yoon house, the Chuns and San are heating dinner. Hae Joo is as angry and prickly as ever. Her family even starts defending San who is taking the brunt of Hae Joo’s wrath. LOL. They were the ones constantly scolding San, but now they are defending him for trying to help Hae Joo. She says that his help isn’t helping her at all as she needs to learn to use her left hand to eat and do things. Sigh. This girl. I get it, but at the same time, I really hate her misdirected rage especially since she becomes selfish, petty, and childish.

While this is going on, Bong Hee and Jung Woo were out on a date. It’s really cute to see them all lovey dovey. Jung Woo even does the classical cheesy move of taking her hand and putting it in his pocket to keep it warm. Bong Hee, yet again, starts having misconceptions of Jung Woo’s intentions and thinks he’s taking her to a motel (they are surrounded by them), however he is only taking her to a taxi that is out front of a hotel. This floors her. When they get home she complains about him and he wonders what’s going on. He then says that he is old fashioned and wants their first time to be special. Bong Hee then says that this place out front of his house is where they shared a kiss. Jung Woo reminds her that she stole his lips. Bong Hee angrily goes to head inside, but Jung Woo catches her and bends her over his arm. He’s about to plant a kiss on her when San comes out and catches them.

Poor Bong Hee ends up in a heap on the ground while San feels awful. He’s inadvertently become like Sang Tae. Bong Hee gets to her feet and hobbles off complaining about her horrible lack of luck. San again apologizes as he’s had the same experience recently. Jung Woo then asks why the young man is leaving the house so late. San then tells him that there is something wrong with Hae Joo. Sure, she should be touchy after learning about Il Moon, but she’s too touchy. Jung Woo goes to see Hae Joo who quickly dries her eyes. Sigh. He again keeps emphasizing the fact he’s her uncle making Hae Joo feel even worse. Jung Woo has no idea what’s going on or why Hae Joo is crying, but he’s her uncle and will always be there for her.

Gi Cheol is spacing out in the Park house when Geum Hee comes in. She demands to know why he told the truth only to lie. Instead of answering, Gi Cheol asks why she stayed by Jang’s side and even nursed him after learning the truth. And we then get this lovely vague conversation. It’s for the same reason as you, isn’t it? Are our thoughts the same? Is Chang Hee’s? LOL. I guess evil minds are now thinking alike. You got to love how San insists on taking the high road, but everyone else takes the same path as Jang. Hae Joo would probably have taken the low road, too, if San wasn’t around to stop her.

The concerned Chang Hee pays Hae Joo a visit at the factory. He again warns her to stop what she is doing. He doesn’t want to see her get hurt anymore. Of course, Hae Joo doesn’t take his words at face value. I get it, but at the same time, I am shocked that she so completely turned against him. He is honestly trying to protect her by warning her away from the crossfire. It’s a very interesting and bitter irony that he has also hurt her in the process. Oh well. Chang Hee made his choice and he even tried for a long time to get Hae Joo to hate him. Mission accomplished. Now it’s too little, too late. Bong Hee then comes up and Chang Hee leaves without a word. Bong Hee wishes to know what they talked about, but Hae Joo, like always, refuses to say.

Bong Hee goes to the office where San is drawing out Hae Joo’s latest idea. He’s proud and thinking about how happy she will be to see it. Bong Hee then tells him that he needs to take initiative otherwise Chang Hee will not be completely rooted out of Hae Joo’s heart. Bong Hee even reveals Chang Hee was just there and that it is very hard to get over a first love.

Chang Hee arrives back at the office and commands Yang to investigate the slush fund further. Why? Chang Hee’s plan is basically to use that to prosecute Jang. Or should we say persecute? While Chang Hee is issuing this command, Jang is visiting Il Moon. He tells his worried son that there is nothing he can do and that he will face jail time. Jang does ask why Il Moon became like he did. Il Moon’s response? It’s all “that woman’s” fault. Well…I wouldn’t say it was Geum Hee’s, but rather his father’s as Geum Hee (while not employing truly healthy parenting skills) did do her best by the two Jang kids. Jang nods and then tells Il Moon that yes, he’s obsessed with Geum Hee to the point where he can’t throw her away. He can, however, throw his son away. Poor Il Moon. Jang then leaves after promising to bring his son food. Omo. Harsh. Cold.

Sang Tae, who was put in charge of getting the new shipment of diamonds the night Hae Joo had her fit at the dinner table, arrives with the delivery and catches Kim studying the blueprints. This startles Kim and he yells at Sang Tae for sneaking up on him. Sang Tae said that Kim was completely absorbed and just didn’t hear him. Sang Tae then expresses again his admiration of Kim who studied abroad—he can even read and understand blueprints. Kim rolls the blueprint up and says he can’t read them, but he’s trying to learn. He then leaves to check on the diamonds Sang Tae brought.

Hae Joo is trying to weld with her left hand, but it’s just not working at all. Enraged, she rips off the bandages and splint on her right hand. San comes in and witnesses this and starts scolding her. Hae Joo turns on him and screams he doesn’t understand, yada yada yada. Of course this makes San unhappy. Sang Tae comes in as Sana starts scolding Hae Joo who just rushes off by herself. He even gets scolded for being too harsh by her oppa. Sheesh. San can’t catch a break. This was clearly Hae Joo being at fault, but he’s the one who catches hell.

Geum Hee goes to see Chang Hee and they both reveal they are sticking to Jang like glue out of revenge. Chang Hee refuses to reveal his plot since Geum Hee isn’t smart enough to understand it. Geum Hee acknowledges that she knows nothing about the company. She reveals she has a plan of her own (which she isn’t telling him details of either), and asks him for a favor. Geum Hee begs Chang Hee to remain by In Hwa’s side and support her because when this is all said and done, she will be alone as Jang will be gone and Geum Hee will no longer be able to remain by her step-daughter’s side. I wonder if there will be a happy ending for Chang Hee and In Hwa… It doesn’t seem too likely, but it would be nice as neither are truly evil. Then again, doesn’t that make matters worse?

At the Yoon house, Dal Soon tries to figure out what is going on with her daughter. Hae Joo, like always, remains tight lipped. Dal Soon then tells her to go live with her mother and have a better life (since she’s afraid Hae Joo is putting her arm at risk by trying to work and earn money to support the family). Hae Joo bawls her out and says she’s having a hard enough time without Geum Hee trying to get rid of her again. Sigh. Hae Joo doesn’t get it. Dal Soon is doing it out of love. I’m sick of seeing these same scenes over and over again. There really is no sense to keep repeating them.

Since Sang Tae revealed he saw Kim reading blueprints and asked San to teach him as well, San became suspicious of Assistant Kim. He sets the older man up by saying he’s input all the drill information into the computer. San then lets Kim have the computer to check his email since it was urgent and leaves. I was hoping that San would end up using Kim to feed Cheonji false information. Chang Hee reports to Jang that they have the drill instructions and are making it and will definitely win the drilling rights.

Jung Woo goes to the drunk Hae Joo who finally blurts out that she’s really Jang Do Hyun’s child. I’m a bit sad, but the startled Jung Woo leaves the bawling (it was sooo fake to me) Hae Joo and walks off in a daze. He then calls out Geum Hee and demands to know what is going on. Didn’t she just assure him that there was nothing between her and Jang when she and Hak Soo were married? Geum Hee reveals she just learnt the truth. Jung Woo yells about how she should feel badly for what she did to his hyung, Yoo Jin, and himself. Geum Hee does reveal that Hak Soo already knew and faked the paternity test to prove he was the father. Of course, Jung Woo vows he can’t forgive her and leaves. It’s almost like he’s yelling at her for cheating on him. Sigh. I was hoping for a bit of a better reaction, but again, given the situation, it is understandable. At the Yoon house, Jung Woo and Hae Joo are holed up in their respective rooms and won’t come out. San texts her and tries to talk to her, but Hae Joo just ignores him. Wench. How can you do that to San? He deserves better, plus I really don’t think it would matter to him if he learned she was really Jang’s daughter—he’s too head over heels to really care about that.

The PT for the drilling rights arrive. Jo and Chang Hee give the presentation for Cheonji and San and Hae Joo smile broadly when they bring out their drill plans. Next San and Hae Joo give their presentation where Chang Hee and Jang are NOT happy to learn the drill designs, while similar, are actually very different. Hae Joo’s and San’s presentation is met with applause which really angers Jang.

Dal Soon goes into Jung Woo’s room for a chat. While Jung Woo doesn’t reveal the reason why he’s been acting coldly towards Hae Joo, he does ask how Dal Soon’s husband could love a child so much that wasn’t his. Dal Soon says she didn’t get it either. Until now. She had treated Hae Joo so poorly, but little by little, the girl has come into her heart and she cares for her as much or even more so than her biological children. Yes, Hong Chul’s words were right. It isn’t blood that makes a family, but hardships and love. After this speech, Jung Woo waits for Hae Joo. It’s an awkward meeting until Jung Woo breaks down and cries and hugs the young girl. No matter what, she’s his precious niece and the daughter of Hak Soo and Hong Chul. Jung Woo apologizes for being intolerant. This was the scene that I thought actually lacked some emotion on his part and seemed a little fake. Don’t get me wrong—I love him, but this scene just didn’t give me his usual vibe oddly enough.

The next day arrives and the drill rights winner is announced. The decision was made on the drills themselves. So who won? Ocean did! Everyone is ecstatic except for Chang Hee and Jang. Well…I’m sure Chang Hee’s ecstatic just because it’s a big blow to Jang, but he looks very unhappy. Our good team is hugging each other and Hae Joo pulls quickly away from San to hug her aunt. Poor San doesn’t know what to do and can only accept Sang Tae’s hug. Yep, Hae Joo’s distancing herself.

Jang goes back to his office where he starts cussing out Chang Hee who tells him it wasn’t the drill (even though Ocean’s was superior), but rather all the bad press and poor image of Cheonji. Jang starts throwing things and cussing out his son. Il Moon was the one who crushed his lifelong dream. Chang Hee says they haven’t lost yet. He proposes a partnership. They would never go for it. Chang Hee insists San and Hae Joo would in order to get the microfilm which includes the information of where to drill. What good are drilling rights when you have no idea where you need to drill? He does have a point. Meanwhile, San says the succeeded thanks to Hae Joo and Cheonji’s spy Kim. Assistant Kim gets on his knees and apologizes knowing that he should not have betrayed San. The younger man says it all worked out and that was how they won over Cheonji. Plus, Cheonji footed the bill to save Kim’s family. It’s all good since San couldn’t pay Kim anything for a while.

Jang rushes home where Geum Hee has successfully broken into the safe with the help of a locksmith. She takes the microfilm and rushes out just after Jang arrives. Suspicious, Jang checks the safe and takes after his wife. He finds her handing over the film to Hae Joo and we end with more of her wide-eyed shock. Ahhh, I really didn’t miss that reaction and it’s back again.

My thoughts? It’s the end!!!! Woohoo! I’ll be sad to no longer see Kim Jae Won, Jae Hee, and Lee Hoon, but I’ll be jumping for joy when this is officially over. Such promise destroyed by bad writing and some bad acting which probably resulted from poorly written characters.

3 comments

I’m with you! I can’t wait for this drama to be finished. The lead actress is very annoying…don’t know if it’s the character or her acting. Regarding Lee Hoon, I think he’s probably sick of the script as well and has lost his energy. If it weren’t for Jae Hee and Kim Jae Won, I’d have dropped this 20 episodes ago.

Thanks for the recap. I’m sooo over this drama too, but I want to finish it, I think. If I can get through the last two episodes. I agree with you – such bad acting. The entire drama has lost a lot of steam and everyone’s acting was flat. I wonder how the writers originally intended to end this drama.

This is the first time I’ve seen most of the leads in a drama. The two actors I find most lacking are Han Ji Hye and Lee Doek Hwa. Both have no emotional range whatsoever. And unfortunately, Han Ji Hye never made me care about Hae Joo. I stopped rooting for her a long time ago. Maybe it is the writing.

Anyway my high points were: 1) Bong Hee conceding that its okay (to go to the hotel) since they’re adults and 2) San finding out that Asst Kim is a spy because of Sang Tae’s clueless remarks that San has to teach him to read blueprints. I wasn’t even that jazzed when Ocean won the contract. Huh??? Moments: 1) Geum Hee not telling Jung Woo that it was a rape – and then Jung Woo’s completely unsympathetic shouty response. He’s an adult, right? I would have expected his prosecutor brain to parse through the details a little better and process the information more rationally. 2) the non-reaction to Asst Kim being revealed to be a spy. San is too generous, but the rest also sat there like it was no big deal that he had been a spy all that time. I think its going to wrap up somehow with HJ having to decide if she wants to save JDH. I’ve seen him clutch his chest several times. Anyway…just waiting for the end!

I am no longer watching the drama just reading the recaps. Reading your recaps is more interesting than watching this drama… the drama started well but ended badly. Wrong actress chosen to play the lead role. What a waste of 4 months.